Oasis “Reach for your Dreams”, a non-profit organisation and City of Cape Town grant funding partner, has been leading weekly clean-ups along the chronically polluted Soet River since Tuesday 12 August. Their work goes beyond restoring the environment while also creating opportunities for vulnerable homeless individuals and youth from marginalised communities to rebuild their lives.
Oasis is one of several organisations that partnered with the City of Cape Town in May, and which received part of the City’s R3,4 million grant funding allocation from the Water and Sanitation Directorate to implement community-based solutions, programmes and research in the water and sanitation space.
On Thursday 18 September, the City’s Mayoral Committee member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, joined Oasis in Strand for a clean-up of the Soet River on Boundary Road, and participated in a community education initiative.
“I am truly inspired by the work of Oasis. Not only are they committed to cleaning up the Soet River, which is one of the City’s most challenging rivers in terms of solid waste and pollution, but they are also changing lives in the process. Equipping homeless individuals with skills and opportunities to rejoin society is both admirable and impactful. It shows how environmental care and social upliftment can go hand-in-hand, creating lasting change for our communities,” said Badroodien.
Through its grant, Oasis is training 30 marginalised youth and homeless individuals in safe clean-up practices, hosting regular training sessions and community awareness drives, and leading at least 24 clean-up activities to reduce illegal dumping and restore the river.
Founded in 2000 by Clifford and Anthea Martinus, Oasis has grown into a Philippi-based organisation committed to empowering disadvantaged communities through education, skills development, and care programmes.
“The City of Cape Town’s funding for the environmental clean-up project has been a game changer for us. With their support, we have been able to train and equip vulnerable youth and homeless individuals, expand our weekly Soet River clean-ups and increase community awareness campaigns. This partnership not only strengthens our capacity to restore the environment, but also allows us to create meaningful opportunities for people who need them most,” said Clifford Martinus.
